Matcha + azuki red beans is a ubiquitous flavor combination in Japanese desserts because they are such a match made in heaven!

Are these not the cutest little parcels you want to treat your family and friends to?  I came up with this recipe when I had leftover Korean-style braised beef shortribs in the freezer that wasn't enough for a full meal so I had to think of a way to stretch it into one.

In Korean, this is called Galbijjim.  Since I am not Korean, I do not have a "mom's best" recipe passed to me for these Korean-style braised shortribs.  So I did the next best thing and adapted my recipe from David Chang's mom's recipe posted on the GQ site.  After I made his version a couple of times I wanted to simplify the ingredients and cooking method for more practical home cooking, so I can make and enjoy it more often of course!  

I know, calling these The Very Best Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies is bold and very unlike me. It is an overused descriptor around the internet especially for chocolate chip cookie recipes, isn't it? So I do solemnly promise, hand to heart, that I am doing it most judiciously.

I most frequently make this with sweet potatoes and portobello mushrooms because they are my family's favorites, and that is how I wrote this recipe.  However it is also wonderful using acorn squash, baking potato, eggplant, sweet pepper, heck hot pepper even.  Once you make the stuffing and walnut breadcrumb topping, you can personalize the meal by putting it into everyone's respective favorite veggie vessel, adjusting time in the oven based on it.

Almond flour makes a most delicious and fragrant gluten-free tart crust. I have long been a devotee to the buttery cookie crust. Still am, really, but I heard somewhere from someone it is good to diversify and I'm pretty sure they were talking about cheesecake.  Even when gluten intolerance is not an issue, I love to make this crust because it is super yummy and also because I can rationalize that by eating 2 or 3 of these tarts I am loading up on heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and antioxidants and other nutrients from the almonds. ;)

I generally abhor salad prep. I love to eat salad. But the prep, no. So much washing and spinning and trimming and seeding and cutting. But these rolls and the dipping sauce. Oh I'll do it for them. They are one of my favorite ways to eat a load of vegetables in one sitting. The filling can be quite versatile. The only 'formula' (for me) is the inclusion of buttery avocado + crunchy carrots + refreshing cucumber + something leafy. Beyond that, almost anything goes. 

When the weather is cold, I turn to hearty chilis and stews to warm up.  I'm also lazy. And stews and chilis are wonderful one-pot meals loaded with meat, beans and lots of veggies! This recipe has no actual heat (spiciness) so who knows if it should still be called a chili. Feel free to enlighten me on this in the comments. Regardless, if you are unlike me and have no young children to worry about, by all means add a tsp of chili flakes when the turmeric goes into the pot.

My family LOVES this granola recipe. It has heartiness from the old-fashioned rolled oats. It has crunchiness from the almonds. It has chewiness from the dried blueberries (or other dried fruit like currents, cranberries or raisins). And important to me, it has healthy fats (extra virgin coconut oil) and is sweetened naturally with medjool dates and maple syrup. Indeed, it has all the qualities of Granola Greatness! Do you think they care about that? Nay. They love it because it is really, really yummy.

"Alkalizing". What does that have to do with juice? Remember grade school science class when you learned about the pH scale - as in, vinegar is acidic and baking soda is alkaline? As it turns out, our bodies are constantly balancing a pH too and plenty of literature informs us that bodies having a high pH (alkaline) versus a low pH (acidic) function better and are healthier.

Che vey! That's shanghainese for "eat rice" which is like saying "bon appetit" before you begin a meal. These words were most frequently uttered around my grandmother's dinner table. She was the one who created the shanghai wonton loving monster that I am. Sometimes when we are feeling decadent (not lazy), we also add a tiny morsel of raw white shrimp in with the filling. Homemade dumplings are a labor of love but so very worth it.  Put some great music on and make them asap!  

This is an essential weeknight recipe that I default to again and again because it is so easy to prepare and because of how much my girls love them!  Think 4 ingredients, 15 prep time, 25 mins bake time. There is no reason to buy packaged nuggets ever. EVER.  I also make this recipe regularly with ground turkey with wonderful results too but of course it will be a tad less juicy. I always make a double-batch and freeze a portion of uncooked nuggets for future school lunches.

Apr 2017:  I have added gluten/grain-free AND dairy-free alternatives.  Hurray!  Nuggets for everyone! 

Lion’s Head Meatballs is a very traditional Chinese dish featuring large pork meatballs and leafy greens. This is a family recipe passed down from my Shanghainese grandmother, which always uses bok choy. The big fluffy meatball represents a lion's head and the surrounding leafy greens, its mane. Don't you love the fanciful name? Just as much to love is the dish itself, a mainstay comfort meal to be certain.

I used to think it was too much trouble to make my own broth. I purchased good quality stock from my butcher made from naturally-raised animals from local farms.  So why bother with homemade?